The invention relates generally to the field of photography, and in particular to collecting and categorizing images. More specifically, the invention relates to a personal database of metadata labels constructed prior to image capture.
Image metadata is well-known, and is useful in retrieving desired images from a large collection of images. The Kodak DC265. camera formulates many metadata items, such as the date/time, camera lens setting, scene light level, etc. when the picture is taken, and stores this metadata within the Exif/JPEG digital image file. Unfortunately, this metadata cannot identify the subject of the photo, or whether this particular photo is one of the user""s xe2x80x9cfavoritexe2x80x9d photos. It is this latter type of information that is most useful in quickly and easily retrieving desired images from a large collection of pictures.
Many software applications allow the user to manually type in text, such as a xe2x80x9cpicture titlexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpicture descriptionxe2x80x9d, and store this text within the image file. This could be used to add a description including the people, events, or type of photo. The text strings from all images in the database could later be searched to retrieve images having the names, events, etc. of interest. Unfortunately, this is an extremely tedious method of adding metadata. In addition, since the user may type in different text to describe the same item (e.g. Matt, Matthew, or X-mas, Christmas) the database may not contain consistent names for the same picture categories. Some particular software applications, such as Image Expert 2000 developed by Sierra Imaging Inc., allow the user to add keywords to captured images. The keywords are categorized as xe2x80x9clocationxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9coccasionxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cphotographerxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9csubjectxe2x80x9d. While viewing a group of thumbnail images, a user can create keywords in these categories and assign the keywords to one or more captured images by selecting the thumbnails and keywords. The keywords from all images in the database can later be searched to retrieve images that were assigned to those particular keywords.
Unfortunately, these conventional software applications make it difficult for an untrained consumer to categorize their images in a way that enables them to later locate their favorite images of a selected subject. What is needed is a simple, fast method for the user to add emotional or aesthetic based type metadata to a collection of images, and to use this emotional or aesthetic based metadata to retrieve images of interest.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above. Briefly summarized, according to one aspect of the present invention there is a method for adding personal image metadata to a collection of images including the steps of: configuring, in response to user""s answers to predetermined queries prior to image capture, a database of preassigned metadata labels useful for classifying future images, wherein at least one pre-assigned metadata label has a label identifier relating to emotional or aesthetic judgment of a user of the database; storing the database of pre-assigned metadata labels in a digital memory; displaying the collection of images that have been captured by the user, and a menu for selecting the pre-assigned metadata labels; selectively assigning at least one pre-assigned metadata label to at least one digital image in response to user""s input; and storing the label identifier of the selected metadata label in association with the selected digital image.
The present invention has the advantage of allowing a user to preemptively categorize photos that are particularly noteworthy to the user. The application can display a menu of metadata labels, including labels such as xe2x80x9cfavorite photosxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cfunny photosxe2x80x9d, etc. The metadata labels, or alternatively metadata label identifier codes, are then stored within the image files and/or in a database separate from the image files, but referencing the appropriate images. At a later time, when the database contains hundreds or thousands of images, several metadata labels can be selected together to easily retrieve images. For example, by selecting the categories xe2x80x9cMatthewxe2x80x9d, Matthew""s Birthdayxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cfavorite photosxe2x80x9d, the user can get a thumbnail display or slideshow of the xe2x80x9cbestxe2x80x9d photos of Matthew taken on his birthday every year, rather than searching through a collection of hundreds or thousands of captured digital image files.